44 THE WORLD OF HOSPITALITY
HOTEL
MEININGER To Open First Scottish Hotel
Hotel
MEININGER Hotels and investor LGIM Real Assets ( Legal & General ) have signed an agreement to open a new hotel in Glasgow . The hotel will be located on West George Street opposite Queen Street train station and will offer 160 rooms and 590 beds . The opening is scheduled for 2020 .
Designed by the architectural practice NORR , the new MEININGER Hotel will have 160 rooms and 590 beds , spread over five floors of the brand-new building . There will be a variety of room types on offer , from classic double rooms through to private multi- bedrooms and single beds within a dorm style room . Public areas will be located on the first floor of the building and are all typical features of a MEININGER Hotel , including a reception , lobby , lounge , breakfast room and bar as well as a guest kitchen and game zone . At basement , ground and mezzanine levels the scheme will also create around 1,400 sqm of new retail space .
Due to its strategic location in the centre of Glasgow , many of the city ’ s sights , museums and monuments are within walking distance from the hotel . Equally , there are numerous restaurants , pubs and venues nearby . The Scottish National Gallery of Modern Art is a three-minute walk from the hotel and the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall is just nine minutes away . The hotel is well connected to both local and long-distance destinations . As well as being opposite Queen Street station , the Buchanan Street underground station is only 160 meters from the hotel .
The hotel in Glasgow will be the second hotel for the MEININGER Group in the UK , which has operated the MEININGER Hotel London Hyde Park since 2006 . Hannes Spanring , CEO of MEININGER Hotels , is pleased about the new project : “ Great Britain is a very important market for us and as Glasgow is Scotland ’ s largest city , it ’ s the perfect location for another MEININGER hotel in the UK . The Glasgow hotel is an excellent addition to our portfolio , due to its prime location in the heart of the city centre .”
The MEININGER Hotels Group continue to expand . This year another six hotels are going to open in Europe , including Glasgow , and a total of 15 projects are currently under development . “ The focus is still on Europe , but we are also looking for opportunities in North America and South Asia ,” says Hannes Spanring .
Craig Westmacott , Senior Fund Manager , LGIM Real Assets , said : “ We are pleased to be working with MEININGER Hotels as they seek to expand their successful brand into the UK . This site is an excellent location for a new hotel and together with the redevelopment of Queen Street station will bring significant improvements to this key area of Glasgow city centre .”
Derek Reid , Project Director for Architects NORR Consultants , stated “ We are immensely proud to have assisted Legal + General and MEININGER Hotels in achieving not only this milestone , but also the recent milestone of securing Planning permission . Our design for the building provides an appropriate response to the hotels strategic location within Glasgow City Centre ’ s Conservation Area while capturing the exciting dynamic of the MEININGER Hotel brand . We look forward to continuing our role on the project right through to its completion and opening .”
WEBSITE : www . meininger-hotels . com